Traditionally, steering column assemblies include a variety of different components for locking the shifter and steering column shaft, and for translating rotational motion of the shift lever to longitudinal motion of the transmission shift cable. This variety of components can cause packaging and weight problems in the assembly, as well as increasing manufacturing costs.
Nothing in the prior art teaches using a single locking mechanism for simultaneously locking both the steering column shaft and the shift lever. Rather, these prior art assemblies include a first device for locking the steering column shaft and a second device for locking the shift lever. This results in a packaging problem.
Transmission shift cable actuation causes another packaging problem in prior art assemblies. Traditionally, a shift tube is connected to the shift lever and is positioned parallel to the steering shaft. The shift tube is rotated by the shift lever, and includes an attachment arm extending from the lower end of the tube. The attachment arm actuates the transmission shift cable for gear shifting. The sweeping movement of the attachment arm, as well as the shift tube positioning, consumes a large amount of space in the assembly.